Scenario:
Katie was driving down the Roosevelt Boulevard in her 1993 Honda Civic: Overview, where the speed limit is 45 mph. Her velocity was at an even 55 mph when she noticed the traffic light turned yellow 10 m ahead of her; knowing the average yellow light lasts about 5 seconds, figure out what Katie's acceleration is in order to determine whether she can make the light on time or slow down quick enough to stop.

Picture_5.png95802031990205-480.jpg 1993 Honda Civic Overview


Kinematics of problem!

  • Velocity= 55 mph

  • Breaking Distance: 10m

  • Acceleration=?????
Picture_4_14-39-15.png


Picture_3_14-39-15.png




Acceleration= -31mps^2

Switching up my Numbers:

I also changed my breaking Distance and and Time [mps^2] so that I could compare the different accelerations from the one I had solved.
The first time I changed my breaking distance was from 10m to 5m so that i could find the new time. Then i changed my breaking point from 10m to 15m so that i could find the new time to compare.

Picture_2.png

Picture_3.png

Picture_1.png

Description of Safety Hazard:

"In a typical month, more Americans are killed on our roads than were killed by the terrorists on 9/11"
With that being said; the importance of knowing whether to accelerate or decrease your velocity when the traffic light turns yellow is extremely important to you and to others. Stoplights or traffic lights are signaling devices that are positioned at railroad intersections, pedestrian crossings and other places to control competing flows of traffic; that can lead to accidents and Deaths. They were created not only to ease the frustration of people on the road but do ensure safer driving for drivers and pedestrians lives as well. There are three colors associated with Traffic lights: Green [GO] Red [STOP] and yellow or amber [CAUTION], withch are the most common. " It is always recommended that you look both ways even when the lights are green, which means that you have to proceed. This practice will allow you to spot a person who is not obeying the traffic rules and signals. There are times when the traffic lights fail and when this comes, you will observe that there is road traffic chaos. Remember to always apply the necessary measures so that you can stay safe on the road constantly.


yellow-traffic-light.jpg


Statistics And Facts and Awareness:

"Each year in the United States, car accidents caused by people running red lights result in nearly 1,000 deaths and about 90,000 injuries. When one car collides with another in a car accident at the high speeds to which people travel when running a red light, the effects can be catastrophic. In short, this is a serious problem."
As our country’s population grows, more and more red lights have been appearing at intersections. Red lights help ease the traffic flows that can sometimes get hectic by four-way stop signs and blinking lights. Unfortunately, red lights do not ease traffic jams enough for people that are in too much of a hurry. This causes people to speed up when they approach a yellow light, which cautions drivers to slow down to a stop; and most of the time times people speed through an intersection well after the light has turned red. It is safer not to speed up at a yellow light. That is how many car accidents start. Safety should always be the top priority on the road, and one way of limiting car accidents is for everyone to make sure they always stop at a red light. All states carry traffic laws that specifically require "obedience to traffic control signals and devices", meaning that drivers must observe and obey all traffic lights and stop signs when operating vehicles. However, statistics have shown that there are a number of drivers today who are just eager on breaking the traffic rules and taking risks over the lights themselves. Also, there are even more people who are driving even when the red light or amber is on. This normally happens because there are busy individuals who are rushing towards their offices or destination, even though being in a rush is never an excuse for "running" a light and endangering you own life or anyone else's.


This Video Show's the importance of traffic lights and how the

Here are some statistics and facts about teen driving:


  • "Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers.16 year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age .

  • 16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.

  • 3,490 drivers age 15-20 died in car crashes in 2006, up slightly from 2005.

  • According to a 2005 survey of 1,000 people ages 15 and 17, conducted by the All State Foundation

  • 69 percent said that they speed to keep up with traffic

  • 64 percent said they speed to go through a yellow lightMotor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.In 2008, nine teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash."


What Things put teen drivers at risk?

"Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.
Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next)."

These are the reasons Teen drivers need to be aware about. traffic lights are placed where they are located to help prevent deaths from occurring, and the a heavy flow of traffic. More awareness needs to be raised so that young teens and adults can acknowledge that they are not the only ones on the road and that by simply slowing down at a yellow light, or looking both ways before driving off, and driving on speed limit, we can prevent accidents and deaths.


Cited Recourses:

//http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1992-to-1995-honda-civic.htm//
//Google Image Result for http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2008-03/yellow-traffic-light.jpg//
//http://cbs3.com/topstories/roosevelt.boulevard.safety.2.1319080.html//
//http://maps.google.com/maps? hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&resnum=0&q=roosevelt%20blvd%20and%20risingson&safe=on&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl//
//http://www.odu.edu/ao/instadv/archive/vol29issue6/survey.htm//
//http://public.findlaw.com/traffic-ticket-violation-law/traffic-ticket-a-z/running-red-light.html//
//http://www.seriousaccidents.com/legal-advice/top-causes-of-car-accidents/running-a-red-light///
//http://www.rmiia.org/Auto/Teens/Teen_Driving_Statistics.htm//